1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an adjustable truck bed extender for a vehicle cargo area. More specifically, the present invention relates to a truck bed extender, which can be retained in several different positions within a pick-up truck cargo area.
2. Background Information
Pick-up trucks have increased in popularity in recent years. Some pick-up trucks are used primarily for work and others primarily for recreation. Many trucks do double-duty supporting both of these spheres of activity. Basically a pick-up truck has a storage bed in which a tailgate is pivotally mounted to side support portions of the storage bed. The explosion in the popularity of pick-up trucks and/or sport utility trucks (SUTs) has fueled a proliferation of new body configurations. Trucks are offered as standard cabs, king cabs, crew cabs, and the like. Likewise, truck interiors have been adapted to meet the needs for more comfort, more passenger capacity, and the like.
Recently, the cargo area of the pick-up truck has undergo a similar evolution. Typically, a standard full-sized pick-up bed is little more than a large empty volume with a few tie-down points scattered along the perimeter of its interior walls or along a bed rail. Generally speaking, bed usage may be grouped into three broad categories: hauling, securing, and separating items in the payload. Most truck users need to perform each of these tasks with some frequency. Yet the demands placed on the bed for hauling are significantly different from those needed to secure or separate items in and around the bed. Thus, various bed accessories have been offered to allow customization of the bed to suit a particular need.
For example, some automobile manufacturers have added a bed extender to increase the hauling capacity of the vehicle. Examples of some bed extenders are disclosed in the following U.S. publications: U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,047 to Leitner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,464 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,173 to Leitner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,190 to Rosebrugh et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,215 to Leitner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,618 to Garland et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0146637 to Leitner et al. However, none of these bed extenders are mounted to slide to a plurality of positions along the truck bed. Recently, a bed extender has been available for a pick-up truck that is mounted to a track system such as the one disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0164225 to Snyder et al. However, the bed extender is not mounted in such a manner as to smoothly slide along the tracks.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved adjustable truck bed extender. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.